The NEXT ion thruster has run for 48,000 hours (Image: NASA Christopher J. Lynch (Photo: Wyle Information Systems, LLC)) View gallery - 3 images ...

Spacecraft have used ion drives to explore the moon and deep space, but a new study aims to boost the electric propulsion idea to keep satellites around Earth alive longer.

NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion engine has set a new world record by clocking up 43,000 hours of continuous operation at NASA’s Glenn Research Center’s Electric Propulsion ...

That’s why NASA developed the H71M sub-kilowatt Hall-effect thruster, a next-generation ion engine that can supply a velocity change. The propulsion system must operate using low power ...

Proving yet again that Star Trek was scarily prescient, NASA has announced that its NEXT ion drive -- NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster -- has operated continually for over 43,000 hours (five years).

A diagram of an electrostatic ion thruster (as in NASA's NEXT, and most other ion thrusters) At first I was skeptical of the CAT organization's claims ...

Hall thrusters (HTs) have been developed to have a relatively high efficiency of 45%–55% in the power range of 0.5 to 5 kW.2 However, scaling down the HT to a low power range has several challenges ...

The current efficiency champion is the ion thruster, which has now been used on a number of spacecraft. ... Next story. Most Read. 1. After successfully entering Earth’s atmosphere, ...

When [Jay Bowles] demoed his first-generation ion thruster on Plasma Channel, the resulting video picked up millions of views and got hobbyists and professionals alike talking. While ionic lifters … ...

ION-X is set to demonstrate its technology in orbit for the first time early next year. Its thrusters will propel a satellite by Danish company Space Inventor as part of a larger ESA mission.

Next-Gen 'Ion Thruster' Could Be Satellite Savior By Space.com Published November 11, 2009 12:00am EST | Updated January 13, 2015 2:00pm EST ...